However, in the meantime, these Lights from Atik descended so far below that they became the vitality of the 400 men of Eisav.
And this is the level of “שַ"ק - Sackcloth” (שַ"ק has the numerical value of 400), as is written, “I will cloak the heavens in darkness and place a sackcloth as their covering.”
וְהוּא בְּחִּינַת שַ"ק, כְּמוֹ שֶכָּּתוּב נֵה יְעַשְי( [ג] ) :"אַלְבִּּיש שָּמַיִּם קַדְרוּת, וְשַק אָּשִּים כְּסוּתָּם".
And similarly, our Sages said (Sanhedrin 101a), “The Torah girds itself with a sackcloth...” meaning that the Torah has a superficial garment from which the external forces are nourished.
דְּ הַיְינוּ שֶנִּּתְהַוֶּוה בְּחִּינַת לְבוּש שַק שֶהַחִּיצוֹנִּים יוֹנְקִּים מִּמֶּנוּ.
The Gemara says:
“The Sages taught: One who reads a verse from Song of Songs and renders it a form of secular song, and not a sacred text, and one who reads any biblical verse at a banquet house, not at its appropriate time, but merely as a song, introduces evil to the world, as the Torah girds itself with sackcloth and stands before the Holy One, Blessed be He, and says before Him: Master of the Universe, Your children have rendered me like a harp on which clowns play.”
The Gemara continues to say that Hashem would rather that Jews use verses from the Torah for entertainment than purely secular material. However, the Torah responds that Jews should say over Torah at meals and banquets, and not merely render its verses as material for singing.
In this case, something holy, the verses of Torah, can be used for something not so holy, like material for drinking song. This is like a person wearing thick sackcloth, that covers the person but does not enhance their appearance, it makes them look worse. The person becomes degraded in the sackcloth.
Similarly, when the Lights of Atik, a high level of holiness, becomes invested in the material world, in Efron and his people, these lights become covered over by something that degrades them.
From the Steinsaltz translation, as it appears on Chabad.org, copyright belonging to Chabad.org and Aleph Society Inc.
Future Redemption and the Return of the Lights
And, in the Future, when the elevation of the sparks is complete and ‘death is eternally swallowed up,’ and ‘the spirit of impurity is removed from the land,’ then Efron will return the “400 Silver Shekels,” i.e., the Lights from Atik, to their spiritual source in the realm of complete holiness.
וּ לֶעָּתִּיד־לָּבֹא בִּּגְמַר כָּּל הַבֵּירוּרִּין יֶשְּכבוּלַּע הַמָּּוֶת לָּנֶצַח , גי הָּיְרַכְז(]ב ,[ ) :"וְאֶת רוּחַ הַטּוּמְאָּה אַעֲבִּיר כוּ' ", אָּז יַחְזִּיר עֶפְרוֹן הַד' מֵאוֹת שֶקֶל כֶּסֶף לְשָּרְשָּם אֶל תּומיֵלְשִּּב הָּּשּודְקַה.
Now, from that point, it became clear to Yaakov that it would be impossible for Eisav to direct a flow from the Encompassing Lights of Tohu to Yaakov, as he requested, since Eisav himself was in a low state, and there is no solution other than to have Yaakov himself draw down the Encompassing Light.
ֹול ַעיִּּפְשַיֶש רָּשְפֶא יִּאֶש בֹקֲעַי עַדָּי הָּּתַעֵמּו ְּד ףיִּקַּמַה תֶא ֹו שְרָּּשִּמ וָּשֵעתֹהוּ אֲשֶר הוּא שֵּקַבְמ , מֵאַחַר שֶהוּא בְּעַצְמוֹ לְמַטָּּה , וְאֵין יִּשְמַיֶש קַר אָּּלֶא הָּצֵע יַעֲקֹב בְּעַצְמוֹ ל"ַּנַה ףיִּקַּמַה תֶא.
And to this end, when Yaakov realized that he would have to draw down the Encompassing Lights in his own, he then had to apply his own efforts in order to draw down this Encompassing Light, since “a spirit brings another spirit and draws down a spirit.”
וְלָּזֹאת , יִּשְמַהְל יִּרָּצ ֹומְצַעְּבֶש עַדָּיֶשְּכ ל"ַּנַה ףיִּקַּמַה ן"ַמ תֹולֲעַהְלְךַרְצּוה ןֵכָּל תֶא הֶז יֵדְי לַע יִּשְמַהְל יֵדְּכ ֹוּדְגֶנְּכ ףיִּקַּמַה , כִּּי "רוּחַ אַיְיתֵי רוּחַ כוּ' ".
In other words, for Yaakov to bring down the Encompassing Lights of Tohu, he needed make a corresponding elevation from below, but in a manner of Tohu.
The Mincha-Offering to Eisav
This is the idea of the mincha-offering that Yaakov sent to Eisav, which is the idea of Yaakov’s own efforts to draw down the Encompassing Lights of Tohu.
וְזֶהוּ עִּנְיַן הַמִּּנְחָּה שֶשָּּלַח יַעֲקֹב לְעֵשָּו , ד"ַמ יִּשְמַהְל נ"ַמ תַאָּלֲעַה תַניִּחְּב אּוה דְּ ְּד ףיִּקַמתֹהוּ הַנַּ"ל.
Therefore, Yaakov sent camels, even though they are unkosher animals, because from the perspective of the Encompassing Light, “darkness is the same as light...”
ג חַלָּשְךָּכְלּומַלִּּים , אַף שֶהֵם בְּהֵמוֹת טְמֵאוֹת, ִּקַמ רֹוא יֵּבַגְל יִּּכיף הַנַּ"ל "כַּחֲשֵכָּה כָּּאוֹרָּה כוּ '" (תְּהִּלִּּים קלט, יב).
And as will be explained in the future, with the help of Hashem, regarding the idea that [Yaakov] “took from what he had acquired and brought a mincha offering to Eisav.”
חַקִּיַו" ןַיְנִּעְּב 'ה רֶזֵעְּב ןָּּמַקְל רֵאָּּבְתִּיֶש ֹומְכּו מִּן הַבָּּא בְּיָּדוֹ מִּנְחָּה כוּ ' ".
Yaakov’s Prayer
“And Yaakov said, ‘The G-d of my father Avraham, and the G-d of my father Yitzchok, Hashem who said to me ‘Return to your land and to your birthplace and I will do good to you.’ I have become small from all the kindnesses and from all the truth that You have rendered Your servant, for with my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps. Now deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Eisav, for I am afraid of him, lest he come and strike me, [and strike] a mother with children. And You said, ‘I will surely do good with you, and I will make your seed [as numerous] as the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted because of multitude.’” (Bereishis 32:10-13)
רֶמאֹּיַו"יַעֲקֹב , אֱלֹהֵי אָּבִּי אַבְרָּהָּם וֵאלֹהֵי אָּבִּי יִּצְחָּק ה'ָּךְּתְדַלֹומְלּוָּךְצְרַאְל בּו ש יַלֵא רֵמֹאָּה תֶמֱאָּה לָּּכִּמּו םיִּדָּסֲחַה לֹּכִּמ יִּּתְנֹטָּק :ְךָּּמִּע הָּביִּטיֵאְו ןֵּדְרַיַה תֶא יִּּתְרַבָּע יִּלְקַמְב יִּּכָּךֶּדְבַע תֶא ָּתיִּ שָּע רֶ שֲא הַזֶּה וְעַתָּּה הָּיִּיתִּי לִּשְנֵי מַחֲנוֹת: ָּא דַיִּמ אָּנ יִּנֵליִּצַהִּי לַע םֵא יִּנַּכִּהְו אֹובָּי ןֶּפ ֹותֹא יִּכֹנָּא אֵרָּי יִּּכ וָּ שֵע דַּיִּמ בָּּנִּים: תֶא יִּּתְמַ שְוְךָּּמִּע ביִּטיֵא בֵטיֵה ָּּתְרַמָּא הָּּתַאְו בֹרֵמ רֵפָּּסִּי אֹל רֶ שֲא םָּיַה לֹוחְּכָּךֲעְרַז כוּ' " (פָּּרָּ שָּתֵנוּ לב, י) :
Meaning that he prayed to Hashem that the Holy Encompassing Lights of his forefathers be drawn down to him in order to assist him and enable him to draw down also the Encompassing Lights of Tohu and reveal them below.
פֵּירוּש : שֶהִּתְפַּלֵּל שֶיוּמְשַ ויָּלֵאְך תֹובָּאָּה לֶש הָּּשּודְקִּּד םיִּפיִּקַּמַה , לַעֲזוֹר לוֹ ְּד ףיִּקַּמַהְךיִּשְמַהְל לַכּוּיֶשתֹהוּ הַנַּ"ל הָּּטַמְל הֶּלַּגְתִּיֶש ,
Salvation from Eisav
In this way, Yaakov would also be saved from Eisav, as he requested, “Please save me from the hands of my brother, Eisav” referring to Eisav below.
וְעַל יְדֵי זֶה גַּם כֵּן (שָּם , יב) : אָּנ יִּנֵליִּצַה" דַּיִּמ ]. .[עֵשָּו כוּ' " שֶלְּמַטָּּה ;
